Do the Veterans still have crave days?

[clmnrimer]

I have been off analogs for about 2 months. A couple of weeks ago I had a day where I couldn't vape enough. I wanted an analog so bad. All day. I can't comprehend how much ejuice and gum I went through. I made it through. Today, its happening again. I have been vaping like a mad man but I just. want. a. cigarette. I won't allow myself to fold but I am wondering if I am alone on these days.

God, I want a cig

 

[Xaiver]

The first two months were the hardest for me. The cravings dimished with every passing day, though, which gave me some hope. At about the 6 month mark, I could still get a trigger from seeing someone smoking in a movie or something.

At about the 3 month mark, I tried a cigarette, because they smelled so good. Two drags. That's all. It took me 3 big glasses of root beer to take the edge off the nasty flavor on my tongue...that flavor was with me the rest of the day.

2 years later, I barely remember the mess of ashes and butts all over the place. Smoking doesn't disgust me, per-se, but I'd rather not be around it. I certainly don't want one.

 

[jj2]

Been vaping for 4+ years and no, and I too would rather not be around it.

 

[jdg]

I probably have a different relationship to cigs than most of the old folks around here, and have since the beginning. I had to stay quit completely for about a month before I let myself try a cigarette again. When I finally did smoke a cigarette again, I found that it was fine, but nothing special. A little while later, I smoked another one, and I found that it actually made me crave the ecig. And that's how it has been ever since. I still socially smoke a cigarette every month or so now, but the first thing I do when I'm done is start hitting the ecig to get that analog taste out of my mouth. I don't know if you'll have the same experience, but you may, and I personally like being able to smoke if I choose without feeling the urge to keep smoking.

 

[bnrkwest]

I had terrible cravings early on, but they seemed to leave totally after 3 mo. Now I can't stand the thought of smoking a cigarette and being around cigarette smoke makes me barf LOL So no more cravings here. bnrk

 

[Hoosier]

Haven't had any sort of craving, or the least desire, for a cigarette for quite awhile...at least 3 years. But I never quit smoking...I might need to explain how I don't smoke, but never quit.

I started vaping and vaped when I could and smoked when I had to. First I had to find a nicotine level that worked for me, but during that time I just vaped when I could and smoked when I had to. Even when I did find a nic-level that worked, I never was fully satisfied with my vape so I started looking for a flavor that would fix that, but I still vaped when I could and smoked when I had to. I found a flavor after I stopped looking at tastes I thought would be what I wanted and started trying flavors that sounded too weird. That taste gave me satisfaction like smoking, but it was nothing like smoking, it was better and I was still vaping when I could and smoking when I had to.

One day while getting ready to go to work I put my pack of cigarettes in my shirt pocket like normal and noticed it was missing the same number of cigarettes it was the day before, one cigarette was missing. My smoking had slowly decreased, but now I had forgotten to smoke. I had quit smoking many times in the past and always wanted a cigarette and had always returned to smoking for one reason or another, but mainly because I was always craving what I quit, smoking cigarettes. That day I realized I hadn't quit, I had just switched to something else. I stuck with vaping from that point. I had a few moments over the next few days where I took the pack of cigarettes I carried with me, the same pack with one missing, thought I wanted one, but put them back and just vaped. I carried that pack around for a few months just in case I needed to smoke, but it never happened. I gave them away to a homeless person who wanted to bum a smoke along with the lighter. Still have a carton with nine packs in it in the garage. They are probably really dried out now, but that partial carton is kinda' like a trophy for making the switch.

Folks have started vaping all kinds of ways, but my past had quite a string of quitting and going back. I've never been much of a quitter with anything and I should have realized that when I was looking at my cigarette smoking habit. Amusing what seems obvious in hindsight, well, at least it is amusing to me.

 

[Ryedan]

The first couple of months were hard for me too. I had cravings, sometimes some nasty ones. I managed to vape through them. I was vaping up to 4 ml a day on bad days, but things got easier for me after that. I had a cigarette two months after I quit and enjoyed it, but went back to vaping full time.

It's been 14 months now and I do not get cravings anymore. I was away from home the last month and sometimes found myself in a car with a couple of smokers puffing away. They asked permission and I gave it because I knew it wouldn't bother me. This whole thing still amazes me. I NEVER thought I would ever get to this point!

Stay strong and do what you need to do to get past the cravings now. It didn't last forever for me and I am not that unique

 

[zapped]

No, even though I fell off the wagon a couple years ago and just started vaping exclusively again 8 months ago, I dont have crave DAYS.

I used to, right around the same period youre now in, but my cravings now only last for a few fleeting seconds and might occur once a month or so.

Hang in there, the cure for your cravings is time and it will only get easier as it passes.Youre experiencing withdrawal as the other 3999 chemicals in cigarettes leave your body for good.

 

[rolygate]

In your situation I'd just smoke half a cig and not worry about it. It took me almost a year to switch 100% because I never wanted to in the first place. Actually I don't know when I quit because one day it came to me that I hadn't smoked in a long while. Never smoked again after that point except for the very occasional cigar.

This is not a contest to see who can quit fastest without smoking any more, or something like that. As long as your consumption of cigarettes is going down then you are winning a personal battle. At some point you are down to smoking one a week, then maybe one a month. Not long after that you should be free of it. Some people can switch 100% immediately, some can't. Some want to switch fast, others don't care. Some don't want to switch totally to vaping at all, but find they did (like me). There is no one size fits all.

If you can find a supplier then try WTA e-liquid, this is a wide-spectrum alkaloid extraction from tobacco that has the other useful stuff in.

Another good solution if you can find it is to try Swedish Snus when you get a craving. This is a specially-processed oral tobacco that comes in a mini pouch that fits behind your upper lip (between the upper lip and upper gum at the front). It has had most of the carcinogens removed and is regarded as not associated with oral cancer. The good thing about it is that as it is a whole tobacco product it has the other stuff in that ecigs cannot supply as they only have nicotine (unless you can get WTA refills).